Comparison of Woody Species Diversity and Soil Organic Carbon in Coffee-Based Forests and Natural Forests in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is the origin of coffee arabica, which grows in moist Afromontane forests. Today, the expansion of coffee production to adjacent natural forests is high. The current study aims to compare species diversity, richness, regeneration, and soil physico-chemical properties of forests without and with coffee for conservation. A result showed that Forests without coffee have better mean species richness (45.86), Shannon wiener diversity index (2.69), Evenness (0.85), and Simpson (2.94) than forests with coffee. Forests without coffee had a higher percentage of soil carbon storage (mean 147.18) than forests with coffee (Mean 120.25). Forests without coffee are better for all comparisons. Documentation of woody species will be required for both systems for immediate conservation

Distribution, importance and constraints in gum and resin bearing species in Ethiopia

Abstract Dry forest is the largest forest type in Ethiopia that currently covers 55 M ha. These forests are predominantly rich in Acacia, Boswellia and Commiphora species that gives the important export commodities such as gum arabic, frankincense and myrrh. However, these forests are suffering by huge degradation due to anthropogenic pressures also they are shrinking continuously by the expansion of agricultural lands, human settlement, overgrazing, and lack of policy and inappropriate tapping method. The aim of this paper was to review distribution, importance and constraints in gum and resin bearing species in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia expected areas covered by natural gum and resin bearing species in the different regions, the leading one Tigray have 940000 ha coverage, the other Amhara, Oromía, Gambela, Somalia, Beneshangul-Gumuz, Nationalities and Peoples of the South (SNNP) and Afar followed Tigray region respectively. The majority of the households in rural Ethiopia make use of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for different purposes, extending from food, feed, energy, and medicine to income generation and cultural practices. Among the range of NTFPs, gums and resins are advantageous trade commodities with a potential for helping social and economic developments both at rural and urban areas in Ethiopia. Commercial gums and resins are produced in rural areas, traded in urban and utilized by western countries and, hence, touch varied ranges of human lives and cross-sections. Therefore, adequate research and clear action oriented plans, improve tapping methods, clear policy about utilization and conservation gum and resin bearing species and identify method of propagation is recommended.Resumen El bosque seco es el tipo de bosque más extenso de Etiopía, con una superficie actual de 55 millones de hectáreas. Estos bosques son predominantemente ricos en especies de Acacia, Boswellia y Commiphora que dan importantes productos de exportación como la goma arábiga, el incienso y la mirra. Sin embargo, estos bosques están sufriendo una enorme degradación debido a las presiones antropogénicas y están disminuyendo continuamente por la expansión de las tierras agrícolas, los asentamientos humanos, el pastoreo excesivo, la falta de políticas y un método de explotación improcedente. El objetivo de este artículo fue examinar la distribución, importancia y limitaciones de las especies que contienen goma y resina en Etiopía. En Etiopía se espera que las áreas cubiertas por especies naturales portadoras de goma y resina en las diferentes regiones, la principal Tigray tiene una cobertura de 940000 ha, la otra Amhara, Oromía, Gambela, Somalia, Beneshangul-Gumuz, Nacionalidades y Pueblos del Sur (SNNP) y Afar siguieron a la región de Tigray, respectivamente. La mayoría de los hogares de las zonas rurales de Etiopía utilizan productos forestales no madereros (PFNM) con distintos fines, que van desde la alimentación, la nutrición, la energía y la medicina hasta la generación de ingresos y las prácticas culturales. Entre los PFNM, las gomas y las resinas son productos comerciales ventajosos con potencial para contribuir al desarrollo social y económico de las zonas rurales y urbanas de Etiopía. Las gomas y resinas comerciales se producen en zonas rurales, se comercializan en zonas urbanas y son utilizadas por los países occidentales, por lo que afectan a diversos ámbitos de la vida humana. Por lo tanto, se recomienda una investigación adecuada y planes claros orientados a la acción, la mejora de los métodos de extracción, una política clara sobre la utilización y conservación de las especies portadoras de goma y resina y la identificación de métodos de propagación

Assessing the impact of land use and land cover change on soil erosion potential in Gimbora river catchment of Gubalafto Woreda, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract Soil erosion, along with changes in land use and land cover (LULC), is a critical environmental issue in developing countries like Ethiopia. However, there is a lack of information on how these changes affect soil erosion in the study area. Understanding this relationship is crucial for effective watershed management planning. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of LULC change on soil erosion in Gimbora river catchment, north highland of Ethiopia during the past three decades (1994–2024). To do this, Landsat images of 1994, 2009 and 2024 were used. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm was applied to classify the images into different LULC types. The Kappa coefficient values for the classified images were 90.78%, 93.01% and 95.38% for the years 1994, 2009 and 2024, respectively. The potential risk of soil erosion during the study period was determined using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation. Analysis of the change in soil loss resulting from LULC change was conducted by overlaying pixel-based maps of soil erosion intensity with land use and land cover maps. The study found that from 1994 to 2024, agricultural land, settlement, and riverbed areas expanded by 25.56%, 331.47%, and 2.91%, respectively, while forest and grazing lands declined by 3.67% and 29.84%. These changes contributed to an increase in mean annual soil erosion from 34.71 to 39.07 ton ha−1 year−1.This significant change to agricultural land and settlement causes a noticeable increment of the soil erosion. To reduce this in the study watershed, an evidence-based land use and land cover management plan should be implemented

In-vitro seed germination Trial for the population Terminalia ivorensis Collected from Benchi-Maji zone, south western Ethiopia

Abstract Tree seeds exhibit some degree of dormancy. Similarly, the seeds of Terminalia ivorensis germinate with great difficulties. To break the dormancy and improve the germination capability of seeds, different types of mechanical and physiological approaches can be followed. Accordingly, the seeds of T. ivorensis were subjected to two pre-sowing treatments (one is with seeds soaked in water for 24 hours and the other is with seeds soaked for 10 minutes in 80% concentrated H2SO4 then abundantly rinsed in running water for 20 minutes) in addition to the control one. So, a total of 100 seeds divided into 4 replications (25 seeds per tray) were tested for each treatment. Then, treated seeds were sown in sand tray to seed the germination characteristic of the different treatments. The sown seeds were followed up for 5 months with proper watering, and the germination record was taken accordingly. Analysis of the germination of the different treatments shows that seeds that were not treated exhibits better mean germination percentages (62%) followed by the one with seeds soaked for 24 hours (47%). However, seeds treated with 80% [H2SO4] for 10 minutes then abundantly rinsed in running water for 20 minutes showed no germination. So, both the 62% and 47% germination recorded are fairly accepted results considering the low germination capacity of T. ivorensis in laboratory and natural conditions. However, other possible pre-sowing treatment techniques can be studied and incorporated for increasing the seed germination of T. ivorensis in-vitro in addition to the records obtained in this trial.</jats:p

In-vitro Seed Germination Biology of Milicia Excelsa Population Collected from Benchi-Maji Zone, South Western Ethiopia

Abstract Background: In Ethiopia, species used for timber production are limited to few species. So, it is becoming necessary to find innovative ways of maintaining and improving the genetic quality of species such as Milicia excelsa by domesticating them into a wider scale of ecological and social environment. Hence, the main objective of this study was to investigate the seed germination biology and behavior of Milicia excelsa under in-vitro laboratory conditions so as to promote the domestication and establishment of seed production areas (SPA) in-situ. Methods: Seeds collected from Benchi district of Benchi-Maji zone of southwestern Ethiopia were subjected to germination biology in-vitro to determine the germination responses of M. excelsa seeds under laboratory conditions. So, a total of 1200 seeds were randomly selected, treated and prepared using four treatments procedures with six replications for paper method and 3 replications for sand method, and tested using paper methods in CRD design. So, 600 seeds were tested using paper and sand methods each where 25 seeds were tested for each replication in paper and 50 seeds for each replication in sand method. The germination process was lasted between 19 March 2020 and 15 May 2020. Result: The mean germination percentage of seeds of M. excelsa was noticed to be lower than 20%. This is below the expected (45%) germination rate of mature and healthy seed lot. Overall, seeds that were not treated using any pre-sowing treatments has shown relatively better germination percentage (19%) followed by seeds rubbed by hand (15%). Analysis of one-way t-test shows that the effects untreated (control –T1) and rubbing by hand treatments (T4) is significant at p &lt; 0.05 compared to the effects of the other pre-sowing treatments (T2- seeds only washed with normal tap water, and T3- seeds washed and soaked in hot water for 15 minutes) on the germination capability of seeds of M. excelsa . However, no significance difference was observed between control (T1) and hand scarification (T2). Conclusions: The average germination of M. excelsa seeds combined for all treatments is lower than 20% which is lower germination when comparing with other similar research reported in other countries. Therefore, it required to include and test other pre-sowing treatments including tissue culture micro-propagation of seeds to maximize the germination of M. excelsa seeds helping to get enough seedlings required for the domestication project.</jats:p

Population survey of Milicia excelsa, Pouteria adolfi-fridercii, Antiaris toxicaria and Prunus africana in south and south-western Ethiopia: implications for domesticating and establishing Seed Production Areas

The population dynamics and genetic qualities of stem height and dbh of the populations of Milicia excelsa, Pouteria adolfi-fridercii, Antiaris toxicaria and Prunus africana were assessed and studied in 14 forest ecosystems in south and south-western Ethiopia. A systematic random quadrat sampling technique was employed to identify potential habitat area for selected timber species in south and south-western Ethiopia. So, a total of 10 parallel transect lines were set out across each forest habitat. Milicia excelsa was assessed in four forest ecosystems; Bebeka -Duduka natural forest (45 tree stem ha-1) and Yayu coffee mixed forest (40 tree stem ha-1) appeared to have relatively denser population of M. excelsa compared to the other pilot forests. Similarly, statistically larger stem height (m) is observed in Bebeka-Duduka natural forest (x̅=29.5, SD=4.2) and larger dbh size (cm) in Bebeka 1 coffee mixed forest (x̅=48.5, SD=25.2) at p&lt;0.05. Hence, Bebeka-Duduka natural forest and Bebeka 1 coffee mixed forests are identified for in-situ SPA establishment project of the target species. Pouteria adolfi-fridercii was assessed in eight forest ecosystems; Masha-Gora shewi forest appeared to have dense population of P. adolfi-fridercii (150 tree stem ha-1) followed by Bebeka-Kebereta (80 tree stem ha-1) as compared to the remaining pilot forests. However, statistically larger stem height (m) is scored in Bebeka 2 natural forest (x̅=30.6, SD=2.98) and Bebeka-kebereta forest (x̅=30.0, SD=4.4) and larger dbh size (cm) in Bebeka 2 natural forest (x̅=96.5, SD=19.9) at p&lt;0.05. So, Bebeka 2 natural forest and Bebeka-kebereta forest are identified for SPA establishment project of the target species. Antiaris toxicaria was assessed in two forest ecosystems where both forest habitats appeared to have the same density of Antiaris toxicaria in hectare. Moreover, analyses of mean stem height (cm) of Bebeka 1 forest (x̅=21.4, SD=5.2) and Bebeka-kebereta forest (x̅=22.4, SD=2.7), and mean dbh size (cm) of Bebeka 1 forest (x̅=48, SD=16.4) and Bebeka-kebereta forest (x̅=48, SD=8.2) appeared to have not significantly different at p&lt;0.05. Prunus africana was assessed in five forest ecosystems; Masha-Gora shewi forest appeared to have dense population of Prunus africana (150 tree stem ha-1) followed by Kaho-shemeta forest (130 tree stem ha-1) as compared to the remaining pilot forests. However, statistically larger stem height (m) is scored in Kaho-shemeta natural forest (x̅=31, SD=7.6) and larger dbh (cm) in Masha-Gora shewi forest (x̅=64.7, SD=28.2) at p&lt;0.05. As the result, Kaho-shemeta natural forest and Bonga-Teja-adela forest are identified for establishment of seed production area of the target species in-situ. Hence, while implementing the project of domestication and seed production area establishment in south and south-western Ethiopia, in-situ and ex-situ areas must be selected and delineated in accordance with this preliminary information of the population dynamics and genetic qualities of stem height and diameter at breast height. The survey data generated in this study would bridge the research gap in relation to the population status of the target tree species in the designated area.</jats:p